| __Little
did we know, and hardly did we expect, what a profound experience
this issue would be for us! When we decided back in December
of last year that the April issue of Triangle Journal
would recognize the contributions made by our leaders,
we didn’t exactly envision how it all would turn out.
__We first thought we could feature
the twenty people who were making a difference in our community
today. We then came to realize, as about the 35th person’s
name was placed on the table, that oh-so-many of us were doing
exactly that. We knew we had to limit our selections to fit
into our current 28 page format. So we decided to select only
the people who were dramatically moving and shaking the community
through exciting and vibrant ways. We figured that the past
issues and future issues of Triangle have held and would hold
ample opportunities for us to focus on the ongoing contributions
that are being made in other more subtle ways. But for this
month, we decided to select the movers and shakers, the people
who are leaving an indelible footprint in the sand of the
Midsouth GLBT community. Within the last few days, the board
of directors of Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center has
also begun to discuss the very likely prospect of holding
a special awards reception in their honor in the months ahead.
We’ll keep you posted on the progress of those plans.
__We began the selection process
for our movers and shakers last month. Then entering stage
right, a new person appeared on the scene. She showed up one
Sunday afternoon at MGLCC to help us paint Benefactor Hall.
As we got to know her, we fell in love with her. Her name
is Heidi Park and she willingly, albeit with some trepidation,
interviewed and wrote about the heroes and sheroes you will
meet in these pages. Heidi is from St. Paul, Minn., and arrived
in Memphis in July of last year. She came to our city to pursue
graduate studies at the University of Memphis. Currently,
she is in an MA, EdS program with a focus in school psychology,
but has recently decided to change over to pursue a masters
degree in journalism. As you read what she has written in
the pages that follow, we’re sure you’ll agree with us when
we say “what a great move!”
__In addition to the people who
are moving and shaking us, we also take a look at the employers
in our area who are making a difference for us as well. Since
we spend so much of our lives in the workplace, we wanted
to take an eye-opening look at how Memphis employers are treating
us and how they are valuing the diverse contributions of the
Memphis workforce. We take a hard look at these issues through
the lens of the Human Rights Campaign, the vantage point of
one of our politicos, and through the reflections of one of
our straight allies.
__Finally, we have some deeply
important issues covered in our regular features in this issue.
The election year campaigning is heating up and the race to
unseat Congressman Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) is underway. Our
community needs to watch this one carefully. And we’ll help
you do just that. |
